Gas and liquid fuel burning heater



April 8, 1969 J. A. PHILLIP 3,437,086

GAS AND LIQUID FUEL BURNING HEATER Filed May 11, 1967 IIIIIII JOHN. A. PHILLIP INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,437,086 GAS AND LIQUID FUEL BURNING HEATER ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A substantially rectangular door closed housing is provided with an upper heat transferring compartment and a lower liquid fuel containing and burning compartment. Gas and liquid fuel burners, mounted on the liquid fuel container, are movable with the liquid fuel container to a burning position communicating with the heat transfer compartment.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to a heater and more particularly to a space heater capable of burning liquefied petroleum gas or liquid fuel.

Many rural homes are provided with tanks containing liquefied petroleum gas commonly called bottled gas, such as propane, which serves as a fuel for cooking and heating. When the supply tank becomes empty it is some times necessary, during inclement weather, to await the arrival or availability of a supply tank-truck to have the supply of propane replenished. It is, therefore, desirable that a means be provided for supplying another type of fuel to the heater including burners for the supplemental fuel while awaiting the arrival of additional propane.

Description of the prior art Patent No. 1,336,753 discloses a dual burner heater including a gas burner for initially heating a liquid fuel to vaporize the latter which is than burned by a vapor burner.

The present invention contemplates the use of a pair of burners of gaseous fuel and a pair of auxiliary burners with both pairs of burners mounted on and movable to a burning position by a liquid fuel containing tank mounted within the heater housing.

Summary of the invention A rectangular upright housing having apertures in its bottom wall is provided with inner side walls having a horizontal partition intermediate their ends forming an upper heat exchange compartment and a lower burner and liquid fuel tank containing and burner compartment within the heater housing. Upper and lower doors open and close the respective chambers.

A cylindrical liquid fuel containing tank is rotatably mounted on the housing bottom within the lower compartment. A first pair of burners, mounted diametrically opposite each other on the liquid containing tank, are connected with a source of liquefied petroleum gas. Flame shielding globes and deflectors, mounted on the burners, direct heated gases through a passageway outwardly of and back through the inner walls into the upper chamber. A second pair of burners, similarly mounted on the liquid tank and fed by the latter, are rotatable with the tank for communication with the heated gases passageway. The apertures in the housing bottom permit an additional flow of ambient air which mixes with the heated gases and increases the heat circulation etficiency. Draft regulators in the housing top control the flow of circulating air.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a heater having a tank containing a quantity of liquid fuel disposed below a heat exchange compartment and having gas and liquid fuel burners mounted on the liquid fuel container and movable therewith into and out of communication with the heat exchange compartment.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the heater in door opened position with one wall partially broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the. liquid fuel container and burners mounted thereon.

Description 0 the preferred embodiment The reference numeral 10 indicates the heater, as a whole, comprising a substantially rectangular housing 12 supported by legs 14 and having upper and lower doors 16 and 18. The housing 12 includes opposing side walls 20 and 22 integrally joined to a top 24, a bottom 26 having apertures 27 and a back wall 28.

The housing top 24 has apertures 25 which mate, and mismate with similar apertures formed in the draft regulators 29 pivotally mounted flatly on the upper surface of the housing top wall.

Inner walls 30 and 32 are positioned Within the housing in parallel spaced relation adjacent the respective side walls 20 and 22. The inner walls 30 and 32, adjacent their upper limit, are turned arcuately inward and upward toward the center of the housing, as at 34 and 36, respectively, and terminate in spaced relation with respect to each other and to the inner surface of'the top 24 in arcuate, doubled back toward themselves, end portions 38 and 40, respectively. A horizontal partition 42 extends between the inner walls 30 and 32, intermediate their ends, forming a lower burner compartment or chamber 44 and an upper heat exchange compartment or chamber 46. Other horizontal partitions 48 and 5t) extend between and connect the upper end portion of the inner walls 30 and 32 to the housing side walls 20 and 22, respectively.

A preferably cylindrical tank 52, containing liquid fuel, such as kerosene, is centrally positioned on the housing bottom 26 within the chamber 44. A bolt and nut 54 connects the tank 52 to the bottom 26 for manual rotation of the tank about a vertical axis. A filler opening in the top of the tank 52 is closed by a nut and conventional air valve 55. A pair of valve controlled burners 56 are positioned diametrically opposite each other on the upper surface of and in communication with the interior of the tank 52. A pair of substantially cylinderal-like flame shielding globes 58 are positioned on the respective burners 56. A flame and burned gases deflector 60 comprising a substantially semi-cylindrical member is positioned, at one end portion, over the upper end of each globe 58 and projects, at its other end, angularly upward toward the respective inner wall 30 and 32. An open ended cylindrical conductor 62 extends through the respective inner wall 30 and 32 and supports the adjacent end of each deflector 66. A box-like conduit 64 is con nected to the surface of each inner wall 30 and 32 and extends vertically along each inner wall from a point below the partition 42 toward and terminates in spaced relation below the respective partition walls 48 and 50. The heated gases are directed back into the chamber 46 from the box conduit 64 by open ended cylindrical tubes 66 extending angularly upward through the respective inner wall 30 and 32. The cylindrical conductors 62, box-like conduits 64 and tubes 66 thus form heated gases passageways from the lower burner compartment 44 to the upper compartment 46.

A pair of substantially conventional gas burners 70 are positioned on the upper surface of the tank 52 and spaced with respect to the burners 56. The burners 70 are connected by valve controlled flexible tubing 72 to a source of liquefied petroleum gas, such as propane or natural gas, not shown.

Operation In operation the gas burners 70 are connected with a source of gas, not shown, and the tank 52 is positioned so that the burners 78 are in position for heated gases to enter the cylindrical conductors 62 wherein the globes 56 are positioned over the burners with the deflector 60 directing the heated gases into the respective conductor 62. The flow of heated gases into the chamber 46 is regulated by the quantity of fuel supplied to the burner. The heated gases passing through the deflectors is enhanced in their flow by a current of ambient air rising through the housing bottom 26 and joining the heated gases within the deflectors 60 which increases circulation of air. The inwardly directed end portions 34 and 36 of the inner walls forms a tortuous path for the heated gases which are vented through the draft controls 29. In the event of depletion of the supply of gas to the burners 70 the globes 58 and deflectors 60 are removed, the tank is rotated 90 and the globes 58 and deflectors 60 are positioned in an identical manner on the liquid fuel burners 56 which are then lighted and heater operation resumed.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A space heater, comprising: a rectangular leg supported housing having opposing side walls connected with a top wall and a bottom wall; a pair of spaced-apart inner walls extending upwardly within said housing from said bottom wall in parallel spaced relation with respect to said side walls; horizontal partitions connected with said inner walls forming upper and lower compartments within said housing; a liquid fuel tank supported by said housing within the lower compartment for rotation about a vertical axis; burner means mounted on said tank; conductor means connected with said inner walls forming a heated gases passageway between the upper and lower compartments; heated gases deflector means extending between said burners and the heated gases passageway; and draft regulating means for controlling the flow of heated gases through said housing.

2. Structure as specified in claim 1 in which said conductor means includes, open ended tubular members extending angularly upward in vertical spaced relation through each respective said inner wall and communicating with the respective said chambers, and a conduit connected with each said inner wall, each said conduit encompassing the adjacent end portions of said vertically spaced tubular members.

3. Structure as specified in claim 2 in which said deflector means includes, substantially cylindrical globes supported by said burner means, and a substantially semicylindrical member extending between and supported at its respective end portions by the respective said globes and the end portions of said tubular members projecting into said lower compartment.

4. Structure as specified in claim 3 in which said burner means comprises a first pair of gas burners disposed diametrically opposite each other on the upper surface of said tank, and a second pair of liquid fuel burners equally spaced between said first pair of burners, whereby each of said pairs of burners may be rotated with said tank into and out of communication with the heated gases passageway.

5. Structure as specified in claim 4 in which said draft regulator means includes a damper mounted on the top wall of said housing, said top wall having an aperture opened and closed by said damper, said bottom wall having an aperture.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 375,686 12/1887 Whalen 12685 410,792 9/1889 Gibbons 126-85 1,336,753 4/1920 Nysewander 158-11 X 1,686,613 10/1928 Heisser 12693 FREDERICK KETTERER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 126-93; 158-11 

